Google bringing “Chromoting” to Android, eventually

Chances are, you can already tell from the headline if this news is of any interest to you or not. If you’re deeply invested in Chrome or you frequently work with people who are, this is a big deal. Or at least, it will be.

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Developer François Beaufort pointed out an interesting snippet of text in a commit to the Chromium code base that mentions “[adding] the beginnings of a Chromoting Android app.” While this certainly sounds cool, it doesn’t do a whole lot at the moment. From the description in the repo:

Currently, this has only the following capabilities:

Authenticate using a Google account on the phone

Query and display the host list from the Chromoting directory server

Connect to and communicate with the host service over XMPP/ICE

Establish peer-to-peer channels for communicating with the host service
Notable missing features are:

Display the host’s desktop

Handle any kind of input

That’s developer-speak for “right now it doesn’t do anything.” Even so, the groundwork is being put in place for what could be both very useful to certain people and just plain cool.

If you want to take a look at what this could end up being like, there is no shortage of remote desktop apps available in the Google Play Store. There is also the Chrome Remote Desktop for (your guessed it) Google Chrome, which could give a hint as to how this “Chromoting” app could work.

Does this sound like something you would use? Or is it better left to hardcore nerds and developers?

not only for chromebooks.
there is chrome remote desktop extension.
you can use that for just chrome browser.

Guest

not only for chromebooks.
there is chrome extension.
you can use that.

najiy91

sorry out of topic, what is chromebook?pros?

Android wins!

Chromebook is a notebook/netbook running Chrome OS. They’re usually cheaper, than Windows ones and Macbooks, but aren’t crappy.

najiy91

thanks.

rockspider

chromoting (in my understanding) is ‘chrome remote desktop’ for your android phone. (if you don’t know what ‘chrome remote desktop’ is: it is an add-on for your chrome browser that lets you remotely control another pc from your pc using the nifty features of chrome). So chromoting for android will be the ability on your pc to remotely connect to your android phone (almost as if it is another pc) via the chrome browser.

Will I use it? TOTALLY. sitting at my desk at work all day i find it frustrating to let go my keyboard and mouse each time I get a text, whatsapp message or email on my phone. It sometimes takes a while to reply or read a personal message. Being able to securely view and control the activity on my phone from my work pc will be a huge time-saver without compromising the security of my pc or work domain.

Only concern is: will it work through a tight firewall and proxy server as at my office?